Holiday Charm

Happy, happy Monday! My fellow design team members have been spotlighting the super cute Snag 'Em Stamps by Imaginisce and today is my day! 

With the holidays coming up and all the entertaining that goes with it, I thought it would be nice to make a set of wineglass charms. These would also make a sweet hostess gift if you are the party-hopping type!

I adore these darling holiday images from the Christmas Cheer collection. I colored them and popped them up on some of the coordinating patterned paper.

I added some sparkly gems with my i-Rock tool to each gingerbread person...the perfect little touch!

I know it's only September, but those holidays will creep up on you before you know it!

Have a happy beany day!

BEAN NOTES

Imaginisce patterned papers : Candy Cane Forest, Be Jolly, Happy Winter), Snag 'em Stamps (Gingerbread Boy,Gingerbread Girl, Reindeer), I-Rock Tool, I-Rock Glam Rocks; Fibers: ribbon (Stampin' Up!); Punch: Snowflake (Martha Stewart Crafts); Accents: Pearl Brads (generic)

The Hostess with the Mostess...

The mid-week slump is officially here. What's the best remedy for that? Create something out of paper! So, to get out of the foggy doldrums, and inspired by this week's challenge at Squigglefly, I made a fun paper-pieced card -- a thank you for a hostess whom I am sure is going to invite us over to a snazzy party soon, right?

I used the Apron Die from Taylored Expressions to help me piece the darling apron from the What's Cookin? set in some bright, happy colors. I kept things fairly clean and simple, only really adding a nice die-cut background panel to make the apron stand out.

BEAN NOTES

Stamps: apron, pocket, sentiment from What's Cookin'? set (Taylored Expressions; Cardstock: Classic Cream (Neenah); Pool Party (Stampin' Up!); Ink: Memento Tuxedo Black (Tsukineko); Patterned Paper: Odds & Ends (Cosmo Cricket); Dies: Nesting Pinking Rectangles (Lifestyle Crafts); Apron & Pocket (Taylored Expressions)

home SWEET home...Taylored Expressions Sneak Peek Day 1...

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Oh my goodness, 2011 is already in its second month and the year is off to a busy start. Today is the first of three sneaky peeks for Release Week at Taylored Expressions and I have a really fun project to share today. The TE Store will be carrying these darling acrylic die-cut frames, and I used one to showcase the soon-to-be released set, Cozy Cottages. This set is part of the TE Giving Tree program, with a portion of each sale of this set going to a favorite charity of mine, Habitat for Humanity! For the months of February, March and April, TE will donate $7 to Habitat for Humanity for each Cozy Cottages stamp set sold. Please note that the Giving Tree sets are the only TE sets that come in sheet form and will require trimming -- this makes for a larger amount to be donated to charity. Visit http://www.habitat.org/ for more information on this incredible organization.

the acrylic frame creates a "shadowbox" effect, allowing for multiple layers

a view without the acrylic frame

I was actually in need of a hostess gift for my mom-in-law, who just had us to stay for a visit. Her house always feels like "home" to us, so I created this little scene. Do you see the picket fence, the clouds, and the whimsical tree? -- ALL three are new Taylored Dies! It was hard to choose from among all the adorable houses in the set, but I finally settled on this pretty little farmhouse cottage, which I put on a bluff overlooking the sea. My mom-in-law loves birdhouses, so I included it, too, complete with sweet songbird. I applied some green flock to the hillside and some gravel that I had saved from our old backyard in Minnesota. All the elements were paper-pieced, and I think the sentiment was the perfect touch. The acrylic frame is wonderful, because it protects all the delicate pieces inside a crystal clear frame.

BEAN NOTES

• Stamps: Cozy Cottages (Taylored Expressions)
• Ink: Memento Rich Cocoa (Tsukineko); Soft Suede Classic Dye (Stampin' Up!)
• Patterned Paper: Peek-a-Boo (October Afternoon)
• Cardstock: Textured (American Crafts); Soft Suede (SU!)
• Coloring Medium: Sketch Markers (Copic)
• Fibers: Hawaiian Shores Saddle Stitch (PTI)
• Tools: Dotted Wave Border Punch (EK Success)
• Alterable: Acrylic Shadowbox House Large Frame (Darcie's)

HAPPY BEANS

• Dies: Picket Fence, Whimsy Tree, and Cloud Duo Taylored Dies (TE)
• Other: Gravel (my old backyard!)

Last month, Taylor debuted the Tiny Chefs line of items that are perfect for the kiddos. This month, she has a terrifically fun coloring book, which my little rugrat got to play with. He is three, and agreed to let me photograph him in exchange for a chocolate bribe! He had fun getting to to color in the "shoe house" and this is a great way to let the wee ones in on all the creative fun. The images match the adorable ones found on TE stamps, and we both had a great time. Here are a few shots of my guy in action:

I hope enjoyed my project today. Don't forget to check out the rest of the Baker's Dozen for more sneaks into the new products debuting this week from Taylored Expressions! Hope you have a cozy day.

• 
  

  Taylor VanBruggen

  Charmaine Ikach
  Danielle Lounds
  Donna Baker
  Jackie Pedro
  Jodi Collins
  Karen Giron
  Karen Motz
  Melissa Sauls
  Nancy McKinney (our wonderful illustrator)
  Regina Mangum
  Sankari Wegman
  Tori Wild

From Winter's Garden (Moxie Fab World Tuesday Trigger!)...

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Well, after a successful Holiday Hop, I didn't think it could get much better, but I then found out that my project that I submitted for the Tuesday Trigger Challenge over at Moxie Fab World was selected as this week's Trigger! It's such an honor, and the comments about my little cabbage box are so sweet and kind. If you'd like to play along, head over to the site to check out the trigger...it's a surprising one!
With all the parties we're sure to attend in the New Year, I decided to create a little hostess box. To make my cabbage "blossom," I used Stampin' Up's Birds & Blooms and Blossom Party Sizzix dies, running through my Big Shot some faux suede cardstock I made to add a bit of texture. I water-colored just the tips for some depth. To frame it, I embossed the flattened box top and threaded through some twill ribbon. The box bottom is stamped with the Medallion background stamp and the little sentiment seemed a perfect fit.
BEAN NOTES: (Unless otherwise noted, all materials are Stampin' Up) Teeny Tiny Wishes and Medallion Stamps; Perfect Plum and Mellow Moss Classic Dye Ink; Certainly Celery, Whisper White, and Perfect Plum Cardstock; Sizzix Birds & Blooms and Blossom Party Dies; Big Shot; Martha Stewart Small Tag Punch; Spellbinders Labels One Nestabilities; Papertrey Ink Plum Pudding Twill Ribbon HAPPY BEANS: Martha Stewart Crown Border Punch